Accepted offer but having second thoughts......

[nugget78]

Need some advice, have accepted and signed an offer, but have since been offered another role which is a better fit.
I realise I'm going to burn bridges if I back out, but on reflection may have taken the offer as it was the only option at the time. Over a month til my start date and will apologise profusely, but think I could quickly feel trapped in the role .
Can I safely back out, or am I in a legally binding contract even though I haven't started yet.......
Any help much appreciated, its keeping me awake at night !

[Dan1983]

Only last week i was in the same situation so i feel your pain. Is this a contract role or a perm position? Some agencies, if a contract role, would see this as a breach of contract if you do not start and then they **could** go down the loss of earnings route.

I hope this isnt the case, as i said i have been there recently and it is not good to feel like that. On the plus side i considered my self very lucky that in this difficult time i have the option of two jobs when some people do not have any.

[nugget78]

Its a permanent role. I'm currently a contractor and the preferred role is another contract. I realise I'm in a priviledged position, and feel Id be better making the right decision now than honouring the offerand then potentially not performing becausemy hearts not in it.

[Gargamel]

fess up, do it quickly, apologise and try your best to sound sincere

[anonymous-user]

Changing your mind is very unlikely to cost you any money if you haven't already started the job, there may be legal comebacks but they are unlikely to use them except in exceptional circumstances (such as when they have already paid a significant signing on fee).

It mainly comes down to whether you want to risk upsetting somebody and whether that will have any detrimental impacts on your career, which is most likely if you work in a small, niche industry where everybody knows everybody and you don't want to get a reputation for letting people down.

It happened to me years ago, two days after I had started a new job another company who had interviewed me contacted me and offered me a position. The new job would have been a more exciting role, but the money was similar so I decided to stick where I was and not let down my new employer. If they had been offering £10k a year more then I would have probably made a different decision!

[mondeoman]

The new employer would much prefer you to say NOW that you are having second thoughts, rather than after you start and they start investing their time in you (and/or pay a recruiters fee, if that was the route).

The recruiter will be pissed off, but thems the breaks.

If you have a better offer for YOU, then go do it, but tell the company right now, so that they at least have an opportunity to refill the position. If there was a second choice after interviews, they can still potentially rescue the situation.